Lomachaeta hedera Williams & Pitts, 2009

Williams, Kevin A., Cambra, Roberto A., Bartholomay, Pedro R., Luz, David R., Quintero, Diomedes & Pitts, James P., 2019, Review of the genus Lomachaeta Mickel, 1936 (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) with new species and sex associations, Zootaxa 4564 (1), pp. 101-136 : 112-113

Lomachaeta hedera Williams & Pitts, 2009

( Figs 33 , 37 , 62 )

Lomachaeta hedera Williams & Pitts, 2009: 231 . Holotype, ♂, Mexico, Baja California Sur, Arroyo San Gregorio (CSCA).

Diagnosis. MALE. This species can be immediately recognized by the unique genitalia, wherein the paramere is virtually straight, laterally subcompressed, and long setae throughout apical half of free paramere length ventrally. The following characters are also useful for diagnosis: the body is entirely blackish; the mandible is unarmed ventrally; the forewing has its veins encompassing the basal 0.7 × of the wing; the T1 shape is sub-sessile; the head and T2 disc have separated punctures; and the T2 fringe is composed of simple setae. Body length 4–5 mm.

FEMALE. This species can be recognized by the body color, which is mostly orange, except the legs, antennae and T6 are entirely blackish. Additional useful diagnostic features include: the mandible lacks a ventral lamella; the mesosoma is compact, with the thoracic dorsal length 0.8 × its width; the mesosoma is coarsely areolate and lacks appressed subparallel pale setae; the T2 disc is sparsely punctate, clothed with erect blackish brachyplumose setae, and the intervals mostly micropunctate; the T2 fringe is sparse and simple; and the S6 lateral carina is distinctly triangular.

Description. FEMALE (hitherto unrecognized, based on female from Arroyo San Gregario). Body length 2.5– 3 mm. Coloration. Body reddish-orange except antenna, legs (including coxae), and T6 blackish, mid and hind legs (including coxae) sometimes partly orange. Tibial spurs white. Erect dorsal brachyplumose setae on frons, anterior vertex, mesonotum, T2–5 disc, and T6 black-brown; on posterior vertex, pronotum, propodeum, T1, and T2 base yellowish. Mesonotum with few scattered subappressed simple white setae; fringes of T2–5 composed of sparse subappressed simple whitish setae. Ventral and pleural setae white, except S6 setae black-brown. Head. Head width subequal to pronotal width. Frons, vertex and gena areolate, edges of many frons and vertex areolations obliterated, areolation edges on frons and vertex forming parallel longitudinal apparent striae. Clypeus without distinct teeth or ridges. Genal carina extending anteriorly nearly to hypostomal carina. Mandible oblique, tapering, bidentate apically, unarmed ventrally. Antennal scrobe lacking dorsal carina. Length of F1 subequal to pedicel; F2 1.2 × pedicel length. Mesosoma. Mesosoma compact, dorsal thoracic length 0.8 × width. Humeral carina weak, not reaching epaulet. Mesosomal dorsum areolate; many intervals obliterated; areolations evenly distributed; dorsally with 10 areolations between pronotal spiracles. Pronotal and propodeal spiracles weakly swollen; lateral mesonotal tubercle small, but distinct. Lateral propodeal face impunctate. Metasoma. T1 shape sub-sessile, punctate. T2 as wide as long, laterally slightly swollen subapically. Disc of T2 with sparse incomplete apparent areolations, intervals microreticulate. T3–5 and S2–5 with separated punctures, intervals microreticulate. T6 convex. Incomplete lateral S6 carina distinct triangular.

Material examined. Paratypes, 2♂, MEXICO, Baja California Sur, Arroyo San Gregorio, 13 air km WNW La Purissima, 24–26.Apr.1983, M.S. Wasbauer coll. ( CSCA, Fig. 62 ). Other material. MEXICO: Baja California Sur, same data as above (4♀, CSCA, Figs 33 , 37 ) .

Distribution. Baja California Sur in Mexico.

Remarks. The females here associated with L. hedera have identical label data to two of the male paratypes ( Williams & Pitts 2009). Only one other Lomachaeta species has been found in Baja California Sur, L. cirrhomeris . Unlike L. cirrhomeris , L. hedera females have black legs and antennae and a completely unmodified ventral mandible margin. These females are structurally similar to L. beadugrimi and L. warneri sp. nov., especially in their microreticulate T2 intervals.

Figures

FIGURES 33–36. Lomachaeta females; dorsal habitus. 33) L. hedera; 34) L. beadugrimi; 35) L. powelli; 36) L. warneri, sp. nov. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 37–40. Lomachaeta females; lateral habitus. 37) L. hedera; 38) L. beadugrimi; 39) L. powelli; 40) L. warneri, sp. nov. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 61–64. Lomachaeta males; lateral habitus. 61) L. ilex; 62) L. hedera; 63) L. litosisyra; 64) L. vacamuerta. Scale bar = 1 mm.